But like many victims of abuse by Catholic clergy, his rage has
shifted from Father Jack Ayers, the Salesian priest who buggered
him at Rupertswood school in Sunbury, Victoria, to the Catholic
Church hierarchy.

When he reported the abuse to the Salesians religious order
about a decade ago, he said he was told Father Ayers was out of
reach of children - and the Australian authorities - in Samoa.

But he later learnt from an employee of the Salesians that the
ageing priest had since visited Melbourne and been allowed to
return to the Pacific.

The Provincial of the Salesians order, Father Frank Moloney,
said Mr Scull was "quite unstable" and did not understand that
Father Ayers had the right to return to the country because he had
not been charged.

He would not say how many complaints had been received by the
order, or how many victims had received compensation.

Scull now uses the $45,000 of what he calls the "filthy hush
money" the Salesians paid him to campaign for greater transparency.
He broke his confidentiality agreement to speak to the
Herald.

Father Chris Riley was also a student of Father Ayers. He said
he was unaware of sexual abuse at the school but he deals daily
with victims in his Youth Off The Streets ministry and called it a
poisonous and insidious issue.

"Whenever I see violence in kids, I always ask if they've been
sexually assaulted," he said.

Church abuse victims and their families are holding their breath
for a papal apology this week.

The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, has said he
hopes Pope Benedict will say sorry, as His Holiness did to victims
in the United States in April.

For some, however, even that gesture would be empty given what
they describe as the church's insensitive and aggressive dealings
with some victims.

Mr Scull said an apology "doesn't make any difference at all
unless they do something else. Transparency is one thing, but I
don't think it's possible for them. Canon law comes first and the
victim comes last."

For Lismore disability pensioner Anthony Jones, an apology would
be meaningless.

Mr Jones became the face of disgruntled victims this week when
it was revealed that Cardinal Pell had falsely told him a church
investigator dismissed his sexual assault claim against Father
Terence Goodall, and that there had been no other victims.

Cardinal Pell called it an "innocent error" and formed a panel
to review the case.

Yesterday, Mr Jones said that lawyers for the church and for
Father Goodall continued to threaten him with contempt of court for
releasing documents relevant to his case.

"My heart goes out to all victims of sexual abuse who have never
been vindicated," he said.

Mr Jones has been to criminal and civil courts and the church's
Towards Healing program.

"I would say to any victim of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest
to go directly to the police because Towards Healing is towards [a]
cover-up."

Victims group co-ordinator Helen Last, from In Good Faith, said
the church's internal processes for dealing with complaints were
designed to "perpetuate and propagate" the church.

Sister Angela Ryan, the director of Towards Healing, said the
group encouraged victims to report criminal matters to police and
no longer required confidentiality agreements.